Floating oil enclosure barriers an dispensing means aboard an oil tanker for discharging without the aid of surface vessels

Abstract

In order to confine oil spills from a tanker quickly to prevent spreading out over the surface of water as an environmental hazard, enough barrier material is stored on the tanker for discharge to form a floating enclosure for confining the oil, and mechanical aids are provided for quick employment of the barrier material to form the floating enclosure from the deck of the tanker without the help of surface craft. Thus, for example, a stored barrier material such as one or more lengths of hollow plastic tubing may be reeled up until deployed by unreeling and casting overboard to form an enclosure. The tubing may be inflated by pumps located aboard the tanker to float properly in a position above and below the water surface.

I claim: 
     
       1. The method of controlling oil spills comprising the steps of: storing in an accessible position about an oil carrying tanker an elongatable, floatable oil encompassing barrier capable of containing oil on the surface of water and having a length great enough to surround the tanker and form an enclosure floating on the water at a predetermined distance away from the tanker,   providing means on the tanker for aid in discharging the barrier from the tanker into the water and forming it into said enclosure configuration,   discharging the barrier to control oil discharged from the tanker by catapulting the barrier from the tanker, and   forming a floating oil containing enclosure about the tanker with said barrier.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of confining the shape of the enclosure about the tanker by connection lines between the tanker and the barrier. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of forming a floating enclosure further comprises the steps of: providing an inflatable hollow tube type of barrier material, and inflating the hollow tube to float by pumping air thereinto from pumps located aboard the tanker. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: providing in a stored position aboard the tanker extendable arms for positioning the barrier material at a predetermined position away for the tanker. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 wherein said step for forming the enclosure further comprises the step of forming said enclosure from the tanker without deployment of surface craft. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing step further comprises the arrangement of the barrier material in a folded manner about an outer rim of a deck on the tanker. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing step further comprises the winding of the barrier material on reels located in a plurality of positions about an outer rim of a deck on the tanker. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing means to aid in the discharge of the barrier material further comprises the steps of providing stations at bow and stern positions on the tanker, and locating at such stations means for dispensing a length of said barrier material into the water. 
     
     
       9. The method defined in claim 8 wherein the step of providing means to aid in the discharge of the barrier material further comprises providing two additional stations on opposite sides of the tanker for dispensing lengths of said barrier material. 
     
     
       10. The method defined in claim 8 further comprising the step of controlling spacing of the barrier material away from the tanker by inflation of tubing to assume a configuration maintaining the barrier material spaced away from the tankers hull. 
     
     
       11. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising the steps of forming the barrier from a plurality of sections each retained in place at corresponding positions on the tanker. 
     
     
       12. The method of controlling oil spills comprising the steps of: storing in an accessible position about an oil carrying tanker an elongatable, floatable oil encompassing barrier capable of containing oil on the surface of water and having a length great enough to surround the tanker and form an enclosure floating on the water at a predetermined distance away from the tanker,   providing means on the tanker for aid in discharging the barrier from the tanker into the water and forming it into said enclosure configuration,   discharging the barrier to control oil discharged from the tanker by catapulting the barrier from the tanker,   forming a floating oil containing enclosure about the tanker with said barrier, and   forming with said barrier material at least two semi-enclosure configurations to be discharged in said discharging step from different positions on the tanker, and joining the configurations together in said step for forming an enclosure.   
     
     
       13. An oil tanker comprising in combination, a stored quantity of barrier material aboard the tanker capable of forming a floating enclosure about the tanker that retains oil discharged from the tanker, and mechanical discharge catapulting means resident on the tanker for aiding the dispensing of the barrier material from the tanker to form said floating enclosure. 
     
     
       14. An oil tanker comprising in combination, a stored quantity of barrier material aboard the tanker capable of forming a floating enclosure about the tanker that retains oil discharged from the tanker, and mechanical discharge means resident on the tanker for aiding the dispensing of the barrier material from the tanker to form said floating enclosure wherein said mechanical discharge means comprises at least two reels containing lines for attachment to the barrier material enclosure to retain the material at a position in the water not exceeding a predetermined distance away from a hull wall of the tanker when the lines are dispensed from the reels. 
     
     
       15. The tanker of claim 14, wherein the barrier material comprises inflatable tubing structure, further comprising inflation means for inflating the barrier tubing to form in conjunction with said lines a preferred configuration after inflation.